


Arvad and the Vampire Girl

by stratusdreams



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Graphic Violence, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Insert, ill put a warning before individual chapters that contain battles, local idiots become pals with romantic tension, my universe now, rating changed for violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-09 06:59:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18911884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratusdreams/pseuds/stratusdreams
Summary: Benalish Knight Arvad meets a young woman in a precarious situation.aka, canon divergent self insert where I'm the vampire





	1. Chapter 1

Arvad had been stationed on the northwestern edge of Sursi for several weeks now; he’d been sent there with a group of knights to investigate reports of vampires in the mountains. His squadron hadn’t found anything yet and were beginning to consider leaving the area, much at the chagrin of the locals. They had accused the knights of thinking they were liars, desperate for attention. The knights had denied it publicly, but some of Arvad’s brothers in arms whispered to each other that the vampires were nothing more than children's’ nightmares.

“I can’t be out here chasing a kid’s bad dream,” Dean commented, staring at a letter before shaking it at the other nights. “My wife’s about to give birth. I need to be home.”

Alina agreed. “I’ve got two sons who need their mother.”

“We can’t just leave,” Arvad protested, crossing his arms and looking to Knight-Commander Morgan for help. Morgan stared out the window absentmindedly, his lips pursed. “The Seven Houses and Serra want us here. We can’t just abandon these people. Hell, we haven’t really even investigated--”

“Oh, shut the _fuck_ up, Arvad. You Rosecot assholes are always so high and mighty! Of course  _you_ could stay. You don’t have anyone waiting on you back home! But the rest of us have lives,” Dean snapped, once again shaking the letter. “I’m leaving tomorrow at dawn. The locals can jeer all they damn well please. I need to be with my wife.”

Arvad looked desperately to Morgan, but the other man simply sighed heavily. “You’re all free to go. I’ll be leaving too.”

“Knight-Commander!”

“Rosecot.” Morgan’s tone brokered no argument. “You can stay if you please. The rest of us will be returning to our families.” With that, he left the room, his cape swirling behind him.

Arvad stood up and stalked out of the room, feeling utterly humiliated. _Whatever_. He sat down outside and buried his face in his hands. He wouldn’t leave Sursi just yet. Tomorrow morning he would take a trek into the woods and investigate a little for himself.

_Serra, grant me the strength and grace to remain steadfast and to do what I must._

 

\---

 

The next morning, Arvad packed up his gear and set off into the forest, which stretched at least five miles before hitting the mountains. He planned to explore the area closest to the town first and see what he could find.

The woods were quiet, with the chirping of birds being the only sound beside the crunch of twigs as Arvad explored. He took out a journal and noted that there were odd scratch marks on several trees, at the height of a tall man - taller than Arvad, even. Maybe it was a wandering Kavu? Llanowar was just over the mountains -- one of the lumbering beasts could have found itself lost in Sursi, as unlikely as it seemed. Kavu sometimes ended up on Rosecot land, so it wasn’t unheard of, Arvad mused.

The leaves had been disturbed near the base of a hill, in an odd way that reminded Arvad of someone being dragged. He spotted a small cavern in the side of the hill and approached slowly.

He paused just before he reached the cave mouth, deciding to light a torch before entering. After the torch was lit, he took a deep breath, drew his sword, and stepped into the cave.

“Hello?” he called out, stopping to take in his surroundings. The cave went much deeper into the hill than he had anticipated.

“Help…” a small voice called from the darkness. Arvad heard weeping, and though he was terrified of what might be ahead of him, he pressed forward.

A young woman came into view, back turned and curled up on the floor, shaking and crying with a backpack laying beside her. “Miss… Miss, please turn around. Are you alright?”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?” Arvad asked, attempting to make his gruff voice softer. “Here, I’ll come closer and help you.”

“You don’t want to help me.”

“What? Of course I do. You can trust me -- I’m a knight, alright?” He knelt down beside her, propping up the torch in a pile of rocks. Arvad reached out for her, but she flinched at his touch. “Miss -- ”

The young woman burst into tears when Arvad forcibly turned her to face him. He couldn’t suppress his gasp.

The young woman’s clothes consisted of a bloody knee-length green skirt, boots coated in mud and blood, a tattered white shirt, and a dark green vest stained with red. Her eyes were a burning red, her skin pale, with dried blood caked into her skin and matting her hair. Two small fangs peaked out from her lips. “Blessed Serra…” He reached for his blade, which caused the woman to wail.

“Please don’t hurt me!” she cried out, burying her face in her hands.

“I have to.”

“No, please -- I haven’t hurt anyone… I don’t know where I am… I don’t remember what happened! I want my sister!” The woman was in full hysterics now. “We were in the mountains with the soldiers and there was a man, his eyes were yellow and his skin was cold, so cold…! I keep wandering, something is pulling me towards… towards something in the north, maybe to the east too...”

Arvad felt a pang in his heart at her utter despair. Despite her very clearly being a vampire, Arvad realized he didn’t feel a need to kill her. She needed help. “A pull?” he asked, lowering his blade but keeping a death grip on the handle in case this was a ruse.

“It feels like… It feels like Serra wants me somewhere…”

“Oh?” Arvad tilted his head at her.

“Yeah, but I don’t know where! I have no clue where I’m going. I can only move at night, I just stumble around and cry and fall down. I wanna go home…”

“Miss… uh… Serra is calling you somewhere? But you don’t know where? No visions? Nothing?”

“No,” the young lady sniffled. “How pathetic is that? I keep running around in circles like a dumbass.” She wiped her face, the once-dried blood smearing across her skin. “I’m so cold, and so scared, and so hungry… But I can’t hurt anyone! I don’t wanna hurt anyone!”

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. I know you don’t  _want_ to hurt anyone.” Arvad sighed heavily, still gripping his sword. “But for my purposes, what’s more important is if you’ve already hurt anyone.”

The woman seemed appalled at the suggestion. “I haven’t hurt anyone! I haven’t even seen someone til you came along. But my stomach keeps screaming to hurt someone… but I refuse. I haven’t gone near the town, I swear! The others went north, so it hasn’t been them, either --”

“Others?”

“Yeah, there were others. They attacked me and my sister -- she commanded a group of soldiers, and they scattered. I was so alone, and the vampires circled me, and trapped me while everyone else escaped… One was the cold man…” She swallowed hard, as if fighting down a painful memory. Arvad realized that the woman wasn’t a threat, but a scared, frightened soul. He set his sword down and extended his arms to her. “Huh?”

“Come here. You need a hug.” Arvad winced at how aggressive he sounded. He had never been good at comforting others, unless the person was a child who didn’t understand the nuance of a situation. “Come on.”

She sniffled one last time before scooting forward and cautiously burying her face in his chest, her cheek against his armor. Arvad realized that she was just as afraid of him as he had been of her, and he felt guilty for having continued to brandish his weapon at her while she was giving him invaluable information. “Shh, shh. It’s okay, Miss…”

“Millie,” she mumbled into his chest. “Just Millie. And you?”

“Arvad. Listen, Millie…” Arvad sighed heavily. “Can I make you a deal?”

“Depends.”

“I’ll go with you and help you navigate to… wherever Serra is taking you. And you’ll help me kill any vampires or other unsavory characters we meet along the way.”

It didn’t take much deliberation on Millie’s part. “Okay.” She pulled away and wiped her face before rubbing at Arvad’s armor. “I’m sorry. I got tears and blood all over you.”

“I’ve had worse,” Arvad shrugged, causing Millie to giggle a little. “So, you said you can only move at night?”

“Mhm.”

“Then we’ve got awhile before we can head out. Unless… can you move if you’re covered in a blanket?”

“I’ve never tried that.”

“Well, shall we?” Arvad asked, unhooking his cape and handing it to Millie. “We’ll go back to town --”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. I’m on the very edge of town, so it’s not too far from here and no one will see you, okay? And if anyone asks… I’ll tell them I’ve taken you captive. Or something like that. For information, you know.”

She giggled quietly. “Sounds like the plot of a bad novel.”

“Well, it’s all I’ve got that makes sense.”

They wandered out of the cave, with Arvad’s cape practically covering Millie like a quilt. She was shaky, as she hadn’t walked in a few days, so she leaned on Arvad.

 _This is weird_ , Arvad thought. _I didn’t kill a vampire and now I’ve made a deal with her and we’re going on a damn adventure_.

They made it back to Arvad’s cabin without any fuss. His fellow knights had already left, so the cabin was stark and empty. “You _live_ here?” Millie asked, the shock evident in her voice no matter how much she had tried to hide it.

Arvad couldn’t help but laugh a little. “No. I and a few other knights had come here to investigate the vampire reports, but they were fed up with how little progress we made -- after they hadn’t bothered to investigate the area.”

She nodded sympathetically, as she slowly lowered the cape and uncovered her face. Millie blinked slowly, evidently relieved that she could move freely inside the cabin. “Trust me, I know how you feel. Some people are just so lazy. When I was training to be a healer, the others always tried to take shortcuts and threw a fit when they ended up behind.”

“You’re a healer?” That explained her knee-length skirt, boots, shirt, vest, and backpack. Battlefield clerics had official uniforms, but healers-for-hire simply went on missions in everyday clothes.

“Yeah. I had always wanted to be a healer, but when my sister started training to become a soldier, I was told I was to be _her_ healer. So I went with her on every mission. Until she left me for dead...”  

Arvad processed this quietly. “I’m sorry,” he finally said.

“No, it’s okay. I can’t change it.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that what she did was cruel,” Arvad pressed, but at the sight of tears pooling in Millie’s eyes, he relented. “Sorry. Uh. How about you go take a bath? Clean up some.”

“My pajamas got shredded,” Millie mumbled, wringing her hands.

“Oh. Uh. Here --” he reached into a pile of clean laundry on the floor and tossed her one of his shirts. “Use this.”

“Are you sure?”

“I mean, unless you want to run around --” Arvad stopped himself before he made a himself look like a creep. “I mean. I just want you to feel comfortable. Now go bathe, okay? The bathroom is down the hall, to the left.”

“Okay…” She tiptoed away, taking her bag with her. Arvad sat down at the table and ran a hand through his hair.  _This is crazy. How did I get here?_

Millie returned soon, much cleaner and looking relaxed. The knight felt his face heat up at the sight of her wearing his shirt, but he shoved the thoughts away. _You just met her, and she’s undead._

“Arvad?”

“Huh?” Millie’s voice yanked Arvad from his thoughts.

“Oh, um. I cleaned out the tub and drew you a bath.” She nodded sheepishly.

Arvad gave her a small, embarrassed smile. “Thanks.” He got up and left to clean up, musing over how and when he and Millie were going to leave for… wherever Millie was going. But if Serra was leading her somewhere, it had to be important.

He got dressed and stepped back out into the common area. The young woman was sitting at the table and reading a book. Arvad noted how pale and exhausted she looked, her blue veins clearly visible beneath her snow white skin.

_She mentioned being hungry. Should I…?_

“Millie.”

“Mhm?”

“Are you… Are you hungry?”

She eyed him suspiciously. “What are you trying to say?” she asked, slicing right through to the heart of the matter. _Clever girl._

“Let me give you a little blood.”

“No!” she shrieked, recoiling in horror at the proposition. “Arvad, I can’t take any blood from you. It’s wrong.”

“Millie,” he said, approaching her slowly, “You’re starving. I can see that.”

“It’s not a big deal!”

“Shh, hey, listen to me.” Arvad sat down at the table with her, and looked directly into her green eyes. “Millie, we’re about to go on a big journey to Serra knows where, so you need to be at your prime. I know we just met but I trust you not to go overboard or kill me in my sleep. So… just take a little bit of blood now, alright? And after that, you don’t have to drink any blood for awhile. We’ll find some bad guys along the way and get you more blood if need be. But for now, you need to take some of my blood. Okay?”

Millie sniffled. “I don’t want to be a monster…”

“You aren’t a monster. I can see that.” Arvad patted her arm comfortingly before reaching for a knife. “You just have to take a little bit, alright?”

“Alright.”

Arvad slowly drew the knife across his arm, wincing at the bite of the blade in his skin. He squeezed his arm a bit, trying to get more blood out for Millie. He then offered his arm to her. Millie brought her finger up, and Arvad gave her a curious look.

“What?” she asked, worry in her face. “Did you change your mind?”

“I thought you were going to lick it?”

“ _What?!_ That’s weird!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sound weird, I just thought that’s what vampires _did_.” Arvad blushed and looked away. “Just… do whatever you were going to do, okay?”

Millie regarded him skeptically before drawing her finger across the cut and then licking off the blood. “This whole thing is weird,” she muttered, and Arvad chuckled. “Don’t laugh! This is terrible!”

Millie finally gave up and licked the blood off his arm. “Oh, wow, that feels weird,” Arvad mumbled.

“How do you think I feel?!” Millie huffed, licking the blood from her lips as she pulled away. “Go was your arm now. I’ll bandage it up, okay?” She looked away when he stood up and left to wash up his arm. He returned to the table and offered his arm to Millie, who dug through her backpack and retrieved her medical supplies.

As Millie treated the wound, Arvad noticed the book she had been reading. “ _The Rose Redeemed?_ That’s a good book.”

Millie raised an eyebrow. “You’ve read it?”

“Mhm.”

She gave him a small smile. “I didn’t think men read books like that.”

“Well, funny story. The other guys in my unit were making fun of it, then passed it to me to read it. They expected me to hate it, and make fun of it too. But I loved it.”

“Even the…?”

Arvad chuckled. “Yes, even _that_. It was a good story, okay?”

The young woman couldn’t suppress a big smile. “I had to hide the book from my father, you know. He said it was the destruction of New Benalia.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He was like, ‘Being so openly lewd proves that New Benalia is on the verge of cultural destruction!’ It was so dumb. Little did he know I had the book under my bed, hidden in a box.”

“Ah, so you were a rebellious child.”

Millie shrugged. “In little ways.”

“I think that those are some of the best ways to be rebellious sometimes.” Arvad stared into the table as Millie finished bandaging his arm. “Who was your favorite character?”

“Ariadne.”

“Oh? Mine was Count Amsel.”

“You would like Count Amsel, wouldn’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Arvad feigned annoyance at Millie’s comment. She shrugged and gave him a playful grin.

  
“Oh, just that from what I’ve seen you’re a lot like him.”

“You’re a lot like Ariadne,” he commented, crossing his arms as he leaned back in the chair. “Tell me, what was your favorite part of the book?”

“Well, all of the romance, honestly. It was so beautiful, and warm, and you could feel the love in every page.” The young woman sighed dreamily. “I wanna be swept off my feet like Amsel sweeps Ariadne off her feet. That’s my dream, you know. To fall in love so hopelessly and purely…”

“I agree.”

“You do?” Millie tilted her head curiously. Arvad noticed that she had more color in her face, and that her veins weren’t as visible as they had been before. “A man who likes _The Rose Redeemed_ who also loved the romance? I like that.”

“Wasn’t the romance the point? Why read the book if you don’t want the romance?”

“I don’t know. Some people skipped all the romance and went straight to the battles or whatever.” Millie sighed. “They just don’t _get_ it. The whole point of the book is the characters! Their stories! Why throw all that amazing writing away just to see a dragon? I hate that.” She huffed and toyed with the knife on the table, staring at the dried blood before glancing at Arvad. “It’s getting late. Do you need to sleep?”

“Ah, maybe,” Arvad said. “We’re leaving tomorrow after all, right?”

“If you want to.”

“Then we are.” He stood up and nodded to her. “Goodnight, Millie.”

“Goodnight, Arvad.”

He went to his room and crawled into bed. Despite the fact that there was a vampire inside his house, he felt safe and relaxed. Tomorrow, he and Millie would start their journey north and see what Serra had in store for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventure begins!

“Arvaaaaad! Wake up!”

Millie’s soft voice roused Arvad from his slumber. He grumbled as he sat up and stretched. The young woman was standing outside his door; he could see her silhouette under the door. “I made you breakfast.”

She’d made breakfast? Now his whole morning routine was off.

Arvad threw on a shirt and staggered out into the dining room. Millie had already set out a plate of eggs and bacon for him; she smiled cheerfully when he entered the room. “Morning, Arvad!”

“Morning,” he groaned, yanking his chair out and plopping down into it.

“Not a morning person?” the vampire asked, tilting her head at him with an amused raise of her eyebrows. Arvad grumbled in response, causing the young woman to laugh. “Seems like you might barely be a person.”

“My routine is off,” he muttered, poking at the bacon before lifting it up and taking a bite. “You made me breakfast. I make my _own_ breakfast.”

Millie huffed. “Ungrateful.”

“But my routine--!”

“I made you food! Hush and eat.” Millie glared at him from across the table. In spite of her crimson eyes and sharp fangs, Arvad wasn’t at all intimidated by her and couldn’t suppress a small laugh. “Don’t laugh at me! Eat your food!”

Arvad took a few more bites before mumbling, “It’s good.”

“Thank you for being _grateful_ ,” she replied, placing her chin on her hands and giving him a playful wink. “You mentioned making your own breakfast, right? Tell me more.”

“I’m a very good cook.”

“Oh?”

“My mother taught me everything I know,” he explained. “I spent a lot of my childhood with her, either at church or in the kitchen.” Arvad was surprised at how easily he was speaking about his youth to a girl he’d just met the day before. “And, well… she taught me how to cook. You know?”

“My mother never wanted me in the kitchen until I was fifteen,” Millie commented.

“Why?”

“I was about to be of marrying age, and there were a few men in town she had her eye on.” The young woman stopped for a moment, seemingly lost in a memory. “I’m not a good cook,” she finally said, tracing circles on the table with her finger.

“This is good. So I think you’re just fine.” He finished his eggs before nodding to her. “Thank you for breakfast, Millie.”

“Yeah, of course!” Her face lit up at his gratitude. “I’m happy you liked it. Though, from now on, if you want to make your own--”

“Don’t worry about it. If you want to make food, that’s fine.” Arvad sat back in his chair before saying, “So… about our adventure.”

“What about it?”

“Do you wanna leave in the evening?”

Millie gave him a curious look. “Why not now? I can move in light, as long as I’m completely covered up.”

“But I want my cape…”

Millie raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do you need it to complete the look, Mr. Fashion Master?”

“N-no! It’s just… important to me. Okay?”

“Well…” The vampire glanced around before pointing towards Arvad’s room. “Do you have any extra bed sheets?”

 

\---

 

“This is ridiculous,” Arvad muttered as he laid the massive blue blanket over Millie’s head, draping it over her body. “How are you going to see?”

“Cut slits for me to see through, duh.”

“You can’t use your eyes in the sun! Your _vampire_ eyes!”

“Tie me to you.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Millie responded. “I’ll put on my gloves, and you tie our wrists together, and you lead me. I mean, you’re gonna be leading anyway, since you have a compass.”

“What if I fall?”

“Then I fall too,” she said with a shrug.

Arvad eyed her suspiciously. “What will everyone else think when I’m dragging along a blue ghost who trips over her own two feet?”

“You use the excuse you were gonna use earlier, silly! That I’m your captive.” Arvad felt his face flush at her teasing him, and he looked away. “At least _you're_ not the one wearing a blanket. You should be thankful!”

Arvad rolled his eyes. “Whatever, little lady.”

Millie was quiet after that, as Arvad carefully cut slits for her eyes. “Do you think we could cut some out around the arms? Just so I have better mobility.”

“You’re ruining my blanket,” Arvad teased. He cut into the fabric on either side of Millie’s arms, then look a step back to admire his work.

“Give me some of the scraps and I’ll tie them around my arms. Ooh! And a belt, so I can secure the blanket around my waist.” The knight obeyed Millie’s requests, passing her bits strips of the blanket and retrieving an extra belt for her.

Once all was said and done, he couldn’t help but cackle. “You look…”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Millie twirled around, seemingly examining their work for herself. “Hmm. It works.”

“Alright, so you’re taken care of. Now, I need to pack up my provisions. And I’ll need to get you a weapon.” He hummed, stroking his beard. “Have you ever used a bow and arrow before?”  
“No.”

“A sword?”

“No.”

“...A knife?”

“Only to cut vegetables.”

“Agh!” Arvad ran a hand through his hair and sighed in frustration. “Don’t they teach you healers _anything_ about fighting anymore?”

“All that training goes to the battlefield clerics now. Don’t blame me, blame the Houses, alright?” Millie wrung her hands and leaned against the wall. “I’m… really not all that useful outside of medicine. I’m sorry.”

“Millie, it isn’t you. Please don’t apologize, okay? And you’re useful outside of medicine. I know we’ve still only just met but you’re kind and I can tell you have a heart of gold. So don’t sell yourself short.” He patted her shoulder as comfortingly as he could. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll teach you a little bit on how to fight. Sounds good?”

She sniffled. “Okay.”

Arvad gestured for her to follow him to his room, where he grabbed a knapsack. “I just have to grab a few things, but I figured you’d want to keep talking.”

Millie looked around, though she remained by the door, standing awkwardly with her hands in front of her chest and still swathed in the blanket. She looked like a shy, fearful ghost. “Millie, you can actually come inside, you now.”

She shuffled into the room and immediately noticed a pile of books. “What’re these?” She picked one up and flipped through it aimlessly, though Arvad mused that she probably couldn’t see much, if anything, at all.

“Oh, those were given to me by my mother.” Arvad tossed a glance back over his shoulder while he grabbed clothes from his drawers and shoved them into his knapsack. “They’re all books on Serranism.”

“You’re deeply religious.”

Arvad chuckled. “Is that a question or a statement?”

“Statement. You’ve filled the margins up with notes,” Millie responded; the knight could hear her flipping through the pages. “Can I bring this with us? I wanna read what you have to say.”

“You don’t want to just… read the book? Only my ramblings?”

“Oh, you know what I mean.” The scowl on her face was evident in her voice. “But can we bring it? Please?”

“Yeah, sure, I guess.” Arvad paused. How long were they going to be gone? He frowned to himself, then turned to Millie. “Just… be careful with it, okay? It means a lot to me.”

“Of course,” she replied sympathetically. “My copy of _The Rose Redeemed_ is filled with notes, so I know how it is, how special books are.”

“It’s not just--” he stopped himself. Millie didn’t need to hear his sob story. “Nevermind.”

She didn’t press the issue, which Arvad appreciated deeply. Most people were far too nosy, and if he slipped up, they would prod and prod until he snapped. _Thanks_.

“Alright, clothes are packed. Now, food and food-related supplies,” he mumbled to himself, though Millie heard -- of course she did, with those pointed ears and superb hearing. She had already stumbled off to the kitchen, knocking into the wall due to the poor visibility the blanket caused. Arvad chuckled as he watched her.

“Okay, what do you need to cook and stuff?” Millie asked as she opened up the cabinets. Her efforts to help Arvad pack were quickly thwarted by the fact that she couldn’t reach any of the pots and pans he needed. “Oh.”

“Here, I can reach. You just… stand there and don’t knock anything over, alright?”

“I haven’t knocked anything over yet!”

“ _Yet_.” Arvad quirked an eyebrow at her, and Millie sighed with annoyance. “How about this -- I’ll pass you things and you put them in my bag.”

“Okay!” The young brunette was more than help him pack. Arvad was thankful he’d brought all his own cooking supplies to Sursi with him. Firstly, the others wouldn’t take them, and secondly, they were one of the few objects from his youth that brought him happy memories. He pictured his mother standing at the stove, smiling serenely as she flipped pancakes or stirred soup. He would be standing beside her, watching intently and asking questions.

 _Be patient, Vada. You’ll know when it’s ready,_ he could hear her say _. Just wait._

“Arvad?”

“Huh?” The knight realized he’d been staring into the pan for at least a few minutes now. He turned to Millie. The brunette had opened up the eye slits in the blanket with her fingers to get a better look at him. “Ah, don’t worry. I’m alright. I promise.”

“You sure…? I know we don’t know each other well but I’m here if you want to talk.”

“Thanks.” Arvad passed her the pan. “Just a few more things and we’ll be ready.”

 

\---

 

“You tied it too tight! Redo it, please…”

“I didn’t tie it tight at all,” Arvad huffed, though he obliged and retied the rope around Millie’s wrist. “There. Better?” he asked as he slid two fingers under the rope, tugging to make sure it was tight enough to stay put but loose enough for Millie’s comfort.

“It’ll do.”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Alright, then. Now, you said Serra was pulling you to the northeast?”

“Yes,” Millie explained, “I have a feeling to go through the woods, and then… well, I’m not sure. It’s a feeling of deepness, of finality, of… something that I don’t quite understand yet. But I definitely need to go through the woods and mountains, to the northeast.”

“Alright.” Arvad gestured to his compass. “This’ll be our guide.”

“Good thing, too. I have no sense of direction…”

“I can tell.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

He laughed at her indignance. “You said it yourself. Anyway, let’s get going. We should be able to get at least a few miles northeast, and stop before we get to the mountains. There are plenty of mountain streams along the way, so water won’t be an issue, and I’ve packed a tinderbox. I also have a bow and arrow for hunting. Unless you need anything, I think we’re ready.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Millie responded, shifting the straps of her backpack, which carried not only her medical supplies and clothes but extra food and clothes for Arvad. She raised her wrist and nodded to the rope. “Lead the way, sir.”

They set off, garnering odd looks from locals as they headed out of town. Much to Arvad’s relief, only one person asked about the blanketed lady tied to him, and said person happily accepted his explanation with “Thank Serra, _someone_ is doing their job.” Through the entire exchange, Millie said nothing as the men discussed how the woman was going to be used to destroy the other horrible, disgusting monsters of which she was a part. Arvad felt a pang in his chest at how he referred to her, lumping her in with other vampires. He would have to apologize to her as soon as they were far enough away from town.

They marched on into the forest. Millie stumbled every so often, but for the most part, Arvad was pleasantly surprised by how easily she navigated with a blanket over her head and body. She was uncharacteristically quiet, and Arvad couldn’t tell if she was focusing on her movements or if she had been hurt by his comments.

“Millie?” he asked after a while.

“Mhm?”

He sighed. “When we stopped to explain to that man--”

“It’s alright,” she interjected. “You only said what you had to.”

“No, listen,” he pressed. “I know we’re still practically strangers, but I trust and like you. You aren’t a monster, Millie. Please don’t forget that. I wouldn’t be on this adventure with you if I thought you were one.”

She pondered this for a moment before simply saying, “Thank you.” Her tone of voice suggested she genuinely meant it.

The daylight began to wane as Millie and Arvad came upon a small clearing. The knight glanced at his compass and hummed approvingly. “We’ve made plenty of progress. I think we can stop for the night. Sounds good?”

“Yeah. Where do you want to set up?”

He nodded to a large oak tree on the southeastern side of the clearing. “There. That’ll make a good camp site.”

They reached the tree and began to set up, though admittedly, Arvad did most of the work while Millie provided, as she stated, “moral support.” Once he’d finished kindling a fire, Arvad pulled out his cooking tools and set to work on a meal for himself.

Millie sat at his left side and watched carefully. “What did you like to cook while at home?”

“I haven’t been home in a very long time. But I like to cook big dinners the best -- especially with steaks.”

“I miss steak.”

“Maybe one day you’ll be able to eat it again,” Arvad replied, trying to give her a bit of hope for a hopeless situation.

As the sun drifted below the horizon, she removed the blanket and set it aside, whining when she realized her hair was a mess. Arvad gave her a small smiled and poked at the pork he’d placed in the pan. He flipped it over, appreciating the sizzle of the meat on metal.

“Arvad, knights can only come from noble houses, right? Unlike soldiers.”

“Correct.”

“And you’re a knight.”

“Also correct.”

“So what House are you?” Millie played with a blade of grass, shredding it into tiny pieces as she glanced at the older man.

“Rosecot, the House in the southern plains of Benalia. I’m not closely related to the main family, but I have enough noble blood to still be considered a member of the House. Sir Alvan Rosecot is a -- what was it, maybe a third or fourth cousin of my father? I’m not sure. But yes. That’s my House.”

Millie mulled over this for a moment. “I’m from the northwest, the lands controlled by the Capashens,” she finally began after a moment. “I was born in a small village near Benalia City. Dawsbury, to be exact. Do you know where that is?”

“Oh, that’s the village near the Gerrard Capashen Military Academy, right?”

“Yeah. I trained at the Healer’s sect of the Academy. I didn’t really want to -- I wanted to train under the town doctor. But my parents…” She trailed off with a shrug. “Things change.”

“I was there for training, probably… ten, fifteen years ago.” He chuckled when he saw Millie’s eyes widen. “I’m not exactly a young man, Millie.”

“Do you… are you married?”

“No. I didn’t -- I don’t have the time. And it’s never really crossed my mind.”

“I’m the same way, you know. As much as I love the idea of being swept off my feet, the last thing I wanted was my entire life taken from me at twenty just because my parents wanted to marry me off to some cruel--” Millie stopped herself, and Arvad saw the thought behind her shocked expression: _I’ve said too much._ “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Don’t be. You said you were here for me, and I’m here for you.”

“Well, the thing is, I… I don’t really want to talk about it. Not yet, anyway.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “But thank you for just… not pressing the issue. Everyone is so _damn_ nosy. It’s tiring.”

“It really is, isn’t it? I always want to say to people, ‘Mind your own business, I’ll tell you what I want to tell you when I want to tell you.’ But they keep prodding and prodding. It’s annoying.”

Millie laughed. “Yeah, it’s really annoying.” She stared into the fire, the serene expression returning to grace her features. She looked content.

Arvad finished his supper and went to lay out his sleeping mat when he realized he’d left behind something critical: his pillow. “Damn it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I left my pillow back at the village. I can’t sleep flat on the ground.”

Millie pondered for a second before asking, “Do you want to use my legs?”

“Your _what?!_ ”

“My legs,” Millie explained calmly. “When I was training, I was told that soldiers often find comfort when resting their head on someone’s thighs.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little bit… weird?”

“Arvad, I licked blood off your arm an hour after meeting you. At this point, nothing you or I do will _ever_ be weird.”

“Fair enough. But are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked as he awkwardly rested his head on her thighs. Very soft. Nice.

“Yeah, of course! Trust me, I’ve had weirder men sleep with their head on my thighs. This doesn’t bother me at all.”

“If you’re sure,” Arvad murmured. “But if you get uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to shove me off, alright?”  
“Alright.”

Once he knew Millie was comfortable, Arvad finally let himself drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my silly, self indulgent fic lol. It was supposed to be a one shot but I'm having fun, ok?
> 
> If you're interested in my self shipping shenanigans, my ss blog is darlingselfshipper.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this chapter contains a graphic battle scene as well as some discussion on PTSD! Be safe reading.

“I’ve been wandering the land, lookin’ for a friend, and I found one in the vamp --”

“That’s not how the song goes.”

“Arvad! You’re such a fuddy-duddy.” The knight could practically feel the vampire staring daggers into his back and couldn’t suppress a laugh. “I was _trying_ to make a funny song about us. But nooooooooo, huh? Everything has to be exactly like the original?”

“You’re right. I play by the book to the letter, little lady.” Arvad tugged on the rope connecting them. “Come on. Let’s get moving so we can make at least another mile before nightfall.”

“Hmmph. Fine.” Millie tugged back before huffing, “Can you at least slow down? You walk so fast.”

“I’m walking normally.”

“Yeah, and normally for you is fast! You gotta remember, I have short legs!”

Arvad laughed. “Fine, I’ll slow down just for you.” Millie caught up to him, and Arvad noticed just how small she was; the top of her head only came up to the middle of his chest. “Wow. You really are short.”

“Thanks for noticing,” she grumbled before nearly tripping on a tree branch. “Don’t laugh at me, you jerk!”

“I can’t help it. You’re an interesting one.”

“And what’s that supposed to -- stop.”

“Huh?”

“Shhh,” Millie hissed. “I hear someone.”

They stood in silence, their breathing the only thing Arvad could hear -- besides the pounding of his heart. The darkening sky made the woods feel so much more threatening than usual. Millie removed her blanket, her head swiveling from side to side, trying to find the source of the noise. “He hears us,” she whispered. “Draw your sword, Arvad. He’s coming.”

Arvad obeyed, dropping his knapsack, then quickly drew his blade and braced himself for battle. Millie’s crimson eyes were wide with terror as Arvad handed her his dagger and patted her on the shoulder.

A twig snapped behind Millie, and before she could react, a hideous vampire leapt from the trees and pounced at her. She and Arvad dashed out of the way; the vampire landed in front of them on all fours and snarled.

Arvad swung his blade at the creature, but the vampire managed to dodge. “Millie, stand back,” Arvad snarled, charging forward and bringing his blade down. The monster had pulled out a dagger and swiped at the knight’s leg. He blocked the dagger’s blade.

Millie raced behind the vampire, dagger in hand, looking utterly confused. “Get back!” Arvad hissed, using the sharp edge of his sword to block what would have been a fatal stab wound. “Blessed Serra…” The creature’s face was sullen and gray, its eyes red like fresh blood, and it smelled of death and decay. Arvad felt a surge of memories overtake him, but he desperately pushed them away. “Go to hell, you disgusting beast!”

He managed to nick the vampire’s chest. No blood spilled out; the open flesh was gray and dead. Arvad brought his sword up. He stabbed down into the vampire’s chest. It snarled at him, fearlessly grabbing the sword and yanking the sword out of its own chest. “Fuck!” the knight growled.

The vampire leapt at him and knocked him to the ground. Arvad dropped his sword; it clattered to the ground nearby, but too far to reach. The beast attempted to bite him, but Arvad shoved his gauntlet-covered hand into its mouth. With his free hand, he punched it in the head, but the beast refused to relinquish its bite on his gauntlet. He attempted to jab it in the eye, but the vampire jerked away at the last moment. It was surprisingly strong for such a frail-looking creature. It beat at Arvad’s chest with its fist, and the vibrations from his armor made it difficult to catch his breath. Arvad hissed, afraid he wasn’t going to be able to get the vampire off of him. _No! You have to kill this bastard. Come on, Arvad, focus! Focus!_

Suddenly, the vampire’s weight was lifted from his chest. Arvad blinked in confusion, his jaw agape.

Millie had ran up behind the vampire and _picked it up_.

She looked as utterly shocked as Arvad was as she practically held the creature above her head. Arvad barely had time to react before the vampire came crashing down on top of Millie. She blocked the creature’s assault with her arms. The fabric of her sleeves was shredded in the beast’s gnarled claws. She shoved her dagger into its chest in desperation before managing to shove it back off of her, taking the dagger with her. The vampire gave a blood-curdling shriek as it slapped Millie across the face. It dug its claws into her cheek as it grabbed her by the jaw. “Traitor!” the vampire screamed, before bringing it dagger down into Millie’s forehead.

“ _No!_ ” Arvad cried out, slashing the vampire across the back of its neck. It turned to him with a snarl.

Arvad stared the disgusting blood-drinking demon in the face. “Get away from her, you ugly son of a bitch!”

When the vampire jumped at him, Arvad swung his sword right through the monster’s neck. Its head collapsed to the ground, the body following suit.

“Millie! Millie, are you okay?”

The young woman was sitting up on her knees, staring up at the knife in the forehead and sniffling. “No.”

It was quite a bit less horrific than Arvad was expecting -- at least, in terms of appearance. There was no blood. But in terms of concept, it was terrifying.

“Oh, Millie, I’m so sorry.” He pulled her into a hug, being careful not to touch the dagger. She burst into tears and wrapped her arms around him. “Shh, shh, Millie. It’s alright. It’s okay. I’ll pull it out for you.” He hesitated before stating, “Unfortunately, I need to put a stake in this vampire’s body and burn it before it comes back to life. But after that I’ll take care of you. Shh.”

“I understand,” she sniffled. “I’m just so scared.”

“I know.” Arvad sighed softly before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “I know.”

_She saved me._

Arvad grabbed a tree branch and fashioned a makeshift stake out of it with the vampire’s own dagger. He then drove it through its chest with such violence and force that it nearly broke. _If you can still feel things… I hope that hurt more than anything you’ve experience, you disgusting piece of shit._ Arvad then stood up and collected a few rocks, arranging them in a circle so as to help keep the fire contained. Finally, he set the head on top of the body and lit it ablaze.

He turned back to Millie, who was still crying. “Here, let me help you, alright?” He approached and dropped to his knees in front of her. Carefully, Arvad reached for her face. Millie flinched away from his hand, more tears pouring down her pale face. “Oh, Millie. It’s okay. I know you’re scared but I mean no harm.”

“I know… I-I’m sorry.”

“You have no reason to be sorry.” He pressed his lips together before reaching for the blade and bracing himself. He pulled, but the knife barely budged. “Damnit.”

Millie whimpered, “You might need to… grab my face. For leverage.”

“Okay. Uh, here.” Arvad removed his left gauntlet and set it on the ground. “Now it won’t pinch your face. What else should I do?”

“Pull it out quickly, please. It hurts really bad.”

“Pull it out _quickly_?” 

“It won’t kill me. As you can see.”

“Alright then.” He stroked her cheek gently before softly grabbing her jaw. More tears streamed out of Millie’s red eyes as he grabbed the handle and yanked. The young woman pitched forward, sobbing and grabbing at Arvad’s arm in both hands. “Shh, Millie, it’s alright. Shh. It’s almost out.” He yanked again, and the blade was finally out of Millie’s forehead. She whimpered, running her fingers across the wound as it healed before Arvad’s very eyes. “You alright?”

“Better now,” she mumbled. Millie lifted her chin and glanced over Arvad’s shoulder at the body, which by that point had disintegrated into a pile of ash. “The sword, the stake, and the fire,” she said quietly. “That’s what my father always said.”

“He was a smart man.”

Her lip twitched. “You could say that, I guess.” Millie ran a hand through her short brunette hair and sighed. “Are we staying here for the night?”

“Let’s move ahead a few hundred paces so we’re nowhere near the body.” He stood up and extended a hand to her. “Come on. Let’s put out the fire and gather our things.”

They walked through the woods before settling by a tree. Arvad started another fire and began cooking supper for himself as Millie cleaned up in a nearby stream. He’d probably need to clean up after supper. He felt so dirty. His mind was a swirling mess, between images of the vampire he’d just slain and memories of fallen comrades.

Arvad felt his breath hitch as gruesome scenes played before his eyes. He desperately willed them away, but he couldn’t force them to leave.

 

\---

 

_He was taken back to a battlefield fifteen years prior. Arvad’s battalion was fighting the Cabal in the Kb'Brian Highlands. The Cabalists had invaded a month ago and battalions had been sent to push them back, to no avail. Skin witches had migrated from Caligo down to the highlands, killing settlers and warriors alike, stealing their skin for Belzenlok. Benalish knights and soldiers whispered about fallen comrades being stolen by the skin witches._

_The battle raged around him. Arvad dodged a blow from a grimnant’s sword, the blade clattering off his horse’s armor. He drove his sword through the front of the grimant’s helmet, and he fell off his own horse. Arvad’s horse, Rohesia, nearly tripped over the grimnant’s body as he urged her forward. “Come on, girl…”_

_Rohesia whinnied and reared up, refusing to move farther. “Rohesia!” he hissed, kicking her sides in an effort to get her to move. “Move! Come on!” Arvad didn’t want to hop off his horse, but he might have to if she refused to gallop forward. When she reared up again, Arvad saw what had stopped her._

_A skin witch cackled as she stripped the skin from one of Arvad’s comrades. He recognized the body as his friend, Viktor. Viktor’s eyes were glazed over, his sword lying on the ground. His hand was outstretched as if he had been trying to pick it up to defend himself._

_In that moment, the world around Arvad seemed to freeze as he watched the skin witch strip Viktor of his skin. Arvad could hear himself screaming, and he could hear the clattering of blades, but he felt frozen in space. The witch peeled Viktor’s face from the muscles and placed it over her own, delighting in the smell of blood and flesh._

_“Arvad! Move!”_

_Arvad’s knight-commander, Mikael, shoved the young man off his horse. Arvad stared in terror as a grimnant’s sword pierced through Rohesia’s armor. Mikael swung at the grimnant, roaring as his blade dug into the dark knight’s skin. Yet in turn, the grimant, with the last of her strength, stabbed Mikael in the throat. Arvad could only watch as both his knight-commander and horse fell to the ground beside him. The grimnant then turned to Arvad, raising her blade --_

“Arvad?”

“Huh?”

Millie had returned from her bath. She stood on the opposite side of the fire, wringing her hands. “Are you alright? You were completely spaced out. I was terrified you’d been hurt…”

Arvad gave her a weak smile. “Ah… I’m alright.”

“Are you sure?” She sat down beside him, pulling Arvad’s shirt tighter around herself. “Your face was blank, but your eyes were full of fear. I won’t pressure you to talk, as you know. But you shouldn't bottle things up.” Millie sighed heavily. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“I’m so scared. I knew I was undead but today… It really fucked with my head, figuratively and literally.” She laughed bitterly before continuing, “As I was bathing I kept wondering, ‘What’s the difference between that vampire and me?’ I’m… I’m basically the same thing, right? I’m a monster inside. And one day…” Her voice shook. “...What if one day, I become like that? And then when you touched my face. It was so nice, but also terrifying. No man who's ever put his hand on me has been kind to me before. So that’s why I flinched. I wanted to tell you that so you didn’t think I was scared of you. The opposite, really.”

“Millie…” Arvad felt his heart break for her. “I’m so sorry. I wish I knew what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just talking about it helped.” She scooted closer to him. “I’m sorry if that was too much.”

“Not at all.” The knight felt his face flush as Millie leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I want you to know that you’re not a monster, okay, Millie? You may need to drink blood but you aren’t evil. When I look at you, I see a brilliant, funny, feisty young woman who was struck by misfortune but continues to do her best. The monster we saw today had given in to his dark impulses. But not you. Never you.”

“Never me?”

“I know you have the strength to hold on to your humanity.”

Millie glanced into the fire. “Thank you.” She paused before adding, “Did you want to talk about what was troubling you?”

“Just… When I was around twenty years old, I was sent to the highlands. And I saw so much death and destruction. I saw a friend of mine skinned by a skin witch, and my knight-commander died saving me from a Cabalist.” Arvad wrung his hands as he continued, “I’ll never be able to forget the image of the skin witch wearing Viktor’s face. In my nightmares, all I can see is his face, plastered on that evil bitch, the blood, the gore…” He clenched his fist and took a deep breath; Millie ran her hand up his back and rubbed circles into his shirt in an effort to comfort him.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry, Arvad.”

His reply was shaky. “When you’re a knight, you’re expected to always be strong. I can be as stoic as I want on the outside, but on the inside, I see the faces of my friends in every dead body I come across. Sometimes I can’t eat meat because of how it reminds me of battle. And sometimes when I can’t sleep, it’s because I hear screaming -- constant screaming inside my head. It’s so loud and overwhelming. I wish I had one month, one week without the screaming and fear and _pain_.” Arvad wiped a tear from his eye. “Thank you for listening to me, Millie. I appreciate it. But I don’t think I can talk about it anymore. At least, not for now.” He sighed. “I should go clean up before bed.”

Arvad stood up and was about to begin walking to the river, but Millie’s voice stopped him. “You know, it was funny hearing you say ‘son of a bitch.’ I don’t think you’ve ever sworn in front of me. It made me laugh.”

Arvad’s face flushed. “I was just really upset that he’d hurt you.”

“But the way you expressed it was funny, in retrospect.” She shrugged. “Earlier you told me I was an interesting one. I feel the same way about you.”

The knight couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe we were destined to meet because of that.”

Millie looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe so.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Psst. Arvad. Wake up!”

“Huh?” The knight grumbled and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What?”

“The sun is rising.”

“...Okay.” Arvad flopped back down onto Millie’s legs, but she shoved him off. “Hey! What the hell?”

“I wanna watch the sun rise with you,” she explained. “I’ll have to put the blanket on soon and you know the sun hurts me. But in the low light at this time of day it doesn’t affect me nearly as much. I just thought it’d be nice to see the sunrise with you.”

“Hmm.” The older man sat up and ran a hand through his short black hair. “Yeah, sure.” He attempted to sound more cheerful than usual, though he wasn’t sure how he came off. Regardless, he rekindled the fire and began to make breakfast while Millie gazed at the sky. She squinted at the orange horizon. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she responded, “It just burns a little. I’ll be fine.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Uh-huh.”

Millie sighed and placed her blanket over her head. “Hurts more than I’d like to admit.”

“I’m sure one day you’ll be able to stand in the sun again, Millie.”

“I hope so.”

They were quiet after that, with Millie changing clothes under the blanket before securing it to herself. Arvad examined his armor, noting the damage in the metal and how lackluster the stained glass in his pauldrons was. He cursed himself for forgetting to bring his sand and oil. However, Arvad was thankful that his father wasn’t around to see how his son had so carelessly used the family armor.

“Arvad? You’re awful quiet over there.”

“I’m alright. Just thinking about how I need to clean my armor up and get it repaired.”

“The stream’s just over there.”

The knight laughed. “I can’t just use water. It’s not… proper.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Millie began to pack their things in preparation for their journey. “One day, to make up for this adventure, I’ll buy you some nice armor cleaning supplies.”

“What do you mean, ‘to make up for this adventure’? There’s nothing to make up _for_ , Millie. I wanted to go with you, and I’m glad I did. It’s easy to be around you.”

“Oh, uhm -- thanks,” she mumbled, quickly looking away. “You’re easy to be around, too.”

Once Arvad was ready to go, the duo set off into the forest. Millie had begun walking beside Arvad, rather than behind him, and the knight found that he enjoyed it. It was nice to feel cared for and actually _liked_.

 _Liked_. Arvad smiled softly at the thought. _Millie likes me. And I like her._

 _Wait_.

Arvad blinked. _I mean, I do like her -- but as a friend! Nothing more, nothing less. She is my friend, my undead vampire girlfriend. No! Girl friend. Not girlfriend. Oh, blessed Serra, what am I even saying_ \--

Arvad tried to shove his thoughts away, but they quickly returned to nag at him. _Aww, Arvad, you’ve got a crush, don’t you?_ He sighed. _I do not have a crush on Millie. She is lovely, intelligent, kind, and compassionate, but I am not romantically interested in her. At all_.

The knight gritted his teeth. _Serra help me_.

Millie’s voice interrupted his musings. “Hey, Arvad?”

“Mhm?”

“So, you know how yesterday, we were fighting the vampire? Well -- I mean, you did almost all the work. Anyway, remember when I picked him up?”

“...Millie.”

“What?” He could practically see her radiant smile beneath the blanket.

“You are  _not_ picking me up.”

“Oh, c’mon, Arvad! Not even once?”

“Millie, I’m much heavier than a scrawny vampire.”

“It can’t hurt to try,” she huffed. “Besides, I can always just set you down again. And if I get hurt, I heal almost instantly. And another thing -- what if you get hurt? Like, you fall and break your leg? I’ll have to carry you then. I should at least see if I can!”

Arvad pursed his lips. “Fine. You may pick me up… _Once_.”

“Yay! Thank you!”

They stopped, and Arvad stood still while Millie maneuvered behind him. She bent down and placed one hand under Arvad’s knees, much to his shock. “Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Picking you up?”

“I thought you were going to pick me up while I was standing.”

“Nah. This is more fun, and it’s cute to see you so flustered.”

Arvad’s face flushed and he looked away as Millie placed her other hand on his back. Then, she lifted him off to ground, holding him close to her.

“Ah, Arvad, my fair sir, how may a powerful maiden like myself help you today?” She giggled at her own silly joke before adding, “Look! I’m Count Am-Millie-sel and you’re my fair lady Ari-vadne!” She twirled around, causing Arvad to wrap his arms around her neck in fear.

“Millie, don’t do that! You’re scaring me!”

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to.” She readjusted him in her arms, causing him to yip. “Aww, Arvad, you’re cute!”

“I am _not_ cute.”

“You’re pouting!”

“Am not!”

“You’re almost as adorable as when you’re sleeping, you know. You always look so peaceful, and you aren’t so damn grumpy.”

“Do you watch me when I sleep?” Arvad grumbled as the vampire set him down.

“When I’m not using your head as an arm or book rest, yeah! What else am I supposed to do?”

“That’s weird.”

“You talk in your sleep, you know.”

Arvad huffed. “I do not.”

“How would you know? You’re asleep!”

“We’re wasting daylight.” Arvad tugged on the rope connecting their wrists. “C’mon, Millie.”

“Fine, _sir_.” Millie pouted as she shuffled to catch up to the knight. The older man’s face was still warm, and he realized just much Millie had managed to fluster him. _You’re on a mission, Arvad. Be professional, for Serra’s sake!_

_But Serra does encourage --_

Arvad furrowed his brows. “Millie. Stop.”

“Hmm?”

“Look,” he said, pointing to the ground. “The twigs are broken.”

She tilted her head in confused. “Okay?”

“They’ve been broken by a human, or human-like creature. See?” He squatted down and gestured to the broken sticks. “This is where the ball of their foot landed, on their right foot. See how the indent is deeper on the left side?”

“How do you know it’s the right foot?” she asked, moving beside him and studying the impression carefully.

“Most people walk with their weight carried most heavily on the insides of the foot,” Arvad explained. “So the inner side of the foot -- in this case, the left side on the right foot -- will leave a deeper impression.”

“Oh! That’s really neat, Arvad. You’re really smart.”

He shrugged. “Tracking was a military exercise.”

“Regardless, it shows how observant you are. I never would’ve seen the impression, and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to tell that it was someone’s right foot. I’m impressed.” Millie gave his arm a squeeze. “What else can you tell?”

“Well… Let’s see.” He stood up and scanned the area carefully. “There’s another track up there. And you can see where the new sprouts on the trees have been bent back, whether intentionally or not. So whoever we’re following went that way.” He pointed northeast. “Which, lucky for us, is exactly where we’re going.”

They trekked onward for several hundred yards before Arvad stopped again. “Look there. Multiple sets of tracks converge onto one path. The one we’ve been tracking is in the middle.” He chuckled to himself. “They never learned how to cover their tracks.”

“Oh, and look! That branch is broken over there. And…” Millie dragged Arvad over to a set of imprints and pointed. “It looks like someone was dragging their foot. Maybe a sprained ankle?”

“Good, Millie! See? It’s easy.” He gave her a wink. “Can you tell anything else?”

She studied the other impressions carefully. “Well, there are three people, and like you had said earlier, they all carry their weight on the insides of their feet.” She pulled his attention to the rightmost set of tracks. “This person is putting all their weight on their left foot almost exclusively, so maybe their right foot is injured, too. Or maybe they have a knee or hip injury. It could even be that one of their leg bones is shorter on their right leg, so they have to walk carrying most of the weight on the left leg. Since it’s longer, it takes the brunt of the work.”

“That can happen?”

“Yeah! We studied a knight’s skeleton while I was at the Academy, and his lower leg bone on the left side was about an inch shorter than the bone on his right. He had to wear what was basically a high heel on his right foot so that his legs would be even.”

“See, I never would have guessed that,” Arvad commented. “We have a lot to learn from each other, I think.”

“Yeah,” Millie responded warmly, “I agree.”

They stood up and continued to follow the tracks until they lost them in a grassy clearing near a river. “Damnit. Oh, well. We’ll probably pick the trail back up, but for now…”

“You said they were headed northeast, and that’s the way we’re going, so maybe we should just continue the way we were walking? If two people were injured, then they can’t be moving that fast.”

“That’s true, but…” He paused. “We’re still healing from the vampire encounter two days ago. We should tread carefully.”

“Were you injured and didn't tell me?” Millie’s voice was laced with panic.

“No, Millie -- I mean… we experience a lot of… emotions. And I want us to be fully prepared for another fight. Fully healed and ready, so we can minimize the risk of physical and mental injury.”

The vampire studied him for a moment. “Arvad, you’re the wisest man I’ve ever met.”

“Really? Why?”

She laughed. “You really care about the mental well-being of others. You know that taking care of your mind should be a priority. I’ve always believed in that, but no one else I’ve met has. It’s comforting to know that someone cares about my feelings. You make me feel safe.”

“Thank you,” he murmured. _You do too_.

\---

 

The woods seemed almost endless.

Arvad glanced down at his compass; they were still heading in the right direction, yet the forest seemed to stretch on forever. Where were they headed? Arvad had no idea. Millie didn’t either. Her nebulous calling had begun to somewhat solidify, but she was still deeply confused. She’d confessed her fears to Arvad the night before, spending several hours sobbing over her predicament. Arvad had never doubted Millie being called by Serra, which she’d been afraid of. He’d managed to at least assuage her fears about that. But he couldn’t do much else to comfort her.

“Let’s stop for the night. I’m exhausted,” Arvad said, tossing his knapsack down by a tree.

“Okay!” Millie flopped to the ground and glanced at the sky before removing her blanket. “Ah! That feels so nice.” She patted the ground beside her. “Come sit.”

“Let me set up the fire first, little lady.” Arvad noticed her lip twitch at that, but he couldn’t tell if she was flustered or annoyed. He lit the fire and sat down beside her, pulling out some salted meat and his beloved pan. He set the beef in the pan and watched it sizzle. Millie leaned against his shoulder, and he felt at peace. _This is how things should be_.

He blinked slowly before glancing down at the young woman at his side. She stared up at him through her thick eyelashes. “Your eyes look lovely in the firelight,” Arvad commented. He was surprised by how forward he was in that moment.

“They do? I hate them… They used to be a lovely green. And now…” She paused and shook her head. “They’re…”

“--lovely to me. You’re a very beautiful young lady.” Arvad felt his heart pounding; he was sure Millie could hear it beating against his ribs. “I’m sorry, I--”

“Don’t be sorry. Thank you.” Her fangs caught the light when she grinned at him. “You’re not too bad yourself, Arvad. In fact, I think you’re very handsome.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t say that.”

“But I would. And I did.” She leaned closer to him, resting a hand on his arm. “I… Arvad, I can’t help but think that Serra brought us together. That our fates are intertwined.” Millie’s voice was deadly quiet. “We were meant to meet. Do you feel the same way?”

“I do,” Arvad murmured. His breathing was shaky when Millie reached out to touch his face. She scooted a bit closer to him, her eyes darting from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes. “Y-you know, I’ve never been kissed before,” he whispered, his arm wrapping around her waist.

“Then you won’t know if I mess this up,” she replied, tilting her head to the left and leaning in. Arvad closed his eyes, ready for the feeling of her soft-looking lips on his. She was so close -- _right there_ \--

Something sharp landed near Arvad’s left shoulder blade, and he shrieked in agony, clutching at what he realized was an arrow. Blood poured down his back. “Fuck!” he hissed, whipping around.

Millie had reached for his long bow, her red eyes scanning the darkness. In his agonized state, Arvad realized she was snarling, baring her fangs and growling at the black forest. She loaded a bolt into the longbow and took aim, but she didn’t let the arrow fly just yet.

“Who’s out there?” Arvad groaned.

“It can’t be…”

“Who?”

“Grimnants. Cabal grimnants,” she snarled, though Arvad realized she wasn’t snapping at him, but at whoever was lurking beyond his vision. When a twig snapped, she let the arrow fly, and Arvad faintly heard the arrowhead land in something…fleshy. The grimnants seemed to run off, fleeing into the night.

Millie turned to Arvad and collapsed to the ground beside him. “Arvad! Are you okay?” She gently turned him to get a better look at his wound. “Don’t worry, it’s not deep. I can get it out easy. Take off your shirt for me. I’ll get my tools.”

Arvad removed as much of his shirt as he could while Millie retrieved her medical tools. She cut away the last of his shirt and laid him on his stomach near the fire. Millie passed him a small scrap of fabric. “Bite down on this if the pain gets bad, alright?” Then, she set to work, expertly removing the arrow from Arvad’s back. She stitched his wound up then sat back, rubbing his opposite shoulder blade gently. “All done.”

“...That was it?”

“Yeah. I told you, it wasn’t deep.” Millie’s hand ran over his back, then giggled.

“What?”

“Arvad, you’re all fuzzy,” she chuckled, and Arvad was painfully aware of the fact that she was playing with the hair on his back.

“ _D-don’t say that!_ ” he whined, trying to sit up; Millie gently pushed down on his back. “Let me up! You’re embarrassing me…”

“It’s cute! You’re like an old cat. You try to be grumpy and mean but you’re just adorable. You know that, right? Anyway, you need to stay down and let your wound heal up for the night. It should be okay tomorrow morning, but the stitches are still susceptible to tearing for now.”

Arvad scowled at her over his shoulder. “Fine.”

She maneuvered over his back and laid down at his side, on the opposite side of the fire. Millie glanced over at Arad and sighed. “Here. Lay on my chest.”

“Wh…”

“C’mon, don’t be shy.” She reached to her right and grabbed Arvad’s cape, balling it up and setting it under her head. “I’ve been told they’re very comfortable.”

Arvad rolled his eyes, but gave in and cuddled up to her. “You owe me for this,” he grumbled.

“You wanted to.”

“...Maybe.”

Millie laughed. “Go to sleep, Arvad. You need your rest so we can track the grimnants in the morning. Don't worry about anything, okay? I'll protect you.” As Arvad drifted to sleep, he was only slightly aware of Millie’s hand stroking his hair, making him feel safe and secure by her side.


End file.
